Get to Know St. Lawrence's New Biomedical Sciences Major
St. Lawrence’s new biomedical sciences major is hands-on, experiential, versatile, and designed for students who are curious to explore big questions regarding health and disease. Associate Professor of Biology Karin Heckman and Sarah Johnson ’82 Professor of Biology and Psychology Ana Estevez illuminated the benefits of majoring in biomedical sciences at a liberal arts institution, shared what makes St. Lawrence’s program unique, and illustrated how faculty and staff will support their students’ wide range of possible career aspirations.
What makes St. Lawrence’s biomedical sciences major unique?
KH: The biomedical sciences (BMS) major is a great fit for students who like to ask "how" and "why" and love the challenge of exploring biological questions focused on health and disease. While other institutions have majors focusing on human health, these don't always dig down to the level of disease mechanisms and often overlap more with public health. Our major examines the cellular and molecular basis of organ and tissue function and delves into how their dysfunction leads to disease. Further, this major incorporates courses that look at health and medicine from other lenses, such as the arts and humanities. As a result, students will graduate with both knowledges of both the basic science and applied science aspects of health and disease that is strengthened by broad, interdisciplinary perspectives on health.
AE: Another unique aspect of the major is the experiential learning component which aims to provide students with experience relevant to their particular career goals, ranging from laboratory research to community-based service experience to direct patient contact. These activities challenge students to apply skills learned in the classroom to real-world situations, which will make them more successful in their careers and subsequent educational pursuits.
What are the benefits of majoring in biomedical sciences at a liberal arts institution?
KH: This major allows students to acquire a very technical understanding of biological and chemical principles. Pursuing this knowledge at a liberal arts institution means that it will be accompanied by courses that emphasize skills in asking questions, thinking critically, and carefully considering the ideas and perspectives of others. The synergistic effect of these courses and experiences will enable our students to be problem-solvers and creative thinkers within the very precise and rapidly-evolving field of biomedicine.
AE: Another great benefit is the expertise of our liberal arts faculty. St. Lawrence University faculty have developed amazing courses that allow students to learn about health and disease from a social science, arts, or humanities lens. This allowed us to include a biomedical context course requirement as part of this major. Students can take health and disease-related courses in anthropology, history, and performance and communications arts, to name just a few fields.
How will this program prepare students to continue their education or begin their careers? What kind of careers can biomedical sciences expect to pursue?
KH: The BMS major prepares students for a range of career paths—from hands-on healthcare to laboratory research in the life sciences. Our core courses equip students with a fundamental knowledge of general biology and general chemistry concepts as well as quantitative skills in data analysis. Then, students move on to selecting upper-level biology or chemistry courses as part of the major’s core and elective requirements. The variety and breadth of course options allow students to customize their curriculum and explore distinct areas of biomedical sciences that are most appropriate for their career goals OR that just capture their interest! This creates depth to our students’ understanding of the biological basis of health, but also allows them to develop skills in tackling health topics outside the realm of science in diverse biomedical contexts.
AE: As Dr. Heckman mentioned, students majoring in biomedical sciences will be well-prepared to pursue graduate education in a variety of health careers, such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy, and others. This major is versatile in that it will also prepare students for pursuing graduate studies in the life sciences, or to work in a research lab immediately upon graduation. We have some fantastic research methods courses at St. Lawrence University that allow students to get hands-on experience with some state-of-the-art equipment like our laser-scanning confocal microscope.
How will faculty in this program support their advisees’ career exploration?
KH: Faculty and staff will begin having conversations with students early on to get a sense of their interests and strengths. Advisors direct students to shadowing opportunities and suggest courses and experiences that will expose students to new ideas and career options. Even if students already have a career goal in mind, our advisors get to know their advisees and identify ways to strengthen their career prep, whether through academic, extracurricular, or service activities. Our efforts are supported by our strong network of alumni who are always willing to share their insights and experiences with current students.
AE: Our efforts will also be supported by St. Lawrence University’s Center for Career Excellence. Faculty in the program will connect our advisees to career coaches who specialize in health care as well as science and technology. The career coaches are excellent resources and point our students towards internships and other opportunities that align with their interests.
What experiential learning or research opportunities can biomedical sciences majors look forward to?
KH: A unique feature of this new major is the requirement for each student to complete an experiential learning component that is most relevant to their individual career goals. Students work with their advisors to identify an experience that is feasible and beneficial. Here are a few examples:
- A pre-med student interested in becoming a physician could complete our Health Coaches Program which involves working on healthy living goals with an individual patient in the community.
- A student interested in becoming a physician assistant or nurse practitioner could complete Certified Nursing Assistant training.
- A student interested in a career in research or attending graduate school for a biomedical science-related field can conduct a research project with mentors here at St. Lawrence or mentors at another institution.
AE: Another great opportunity is the LINC Career Mentoring program. We have fantastic alumni currently working in the field of biomedical sciences as physicians, nurses, academic scientists, or scientists in industry. Our alumni provide wonderful advice, mentoring, and shadowing opportunities for our current students.
Tell us a little bit about faculty expertise in the department—who will students of this program be learning from?
KH: The biomedical sciences major draws upon the expertise of many distinguished faculty and staff from the biology and chemistry departments as well as faculty colleagues from the social sciences, arts, and humanities. However, there is a core group of advisors:
- Associate Professor of Biology Karin Heckman, RD brings laboratory expertise in immunology and cancer biology as well as clinical expertise in nutrition to her courses and research projects.
- Academic Support Specialist Jane Kring, MD brings clinical and pathophysiology expertise to teaching Anatomy & Physiology labs as well as Foundations of Medicine and Health Coaches courses.
- Sarah Johnson ’82 Professor of Biology and Psychology Ana Estevez brings a background in neuroscience to her research involving oxidative stress and to courses including Introduction to Neuroscience, Advanced Neuroscience, and Drugs and the Brain.
- Professor of Biology Joe Erlichman brings a background in physiology to his research work examining the efficacy of antioxidants in brain tissue and to his lecture courses including Anatomy & Physiology.
What excites you most about the future of this program?
KH: I’m excited to engage prospective students who are passionate about understanding the science of diseases. I’m excited about teaching and mentoring students who will graduate with the skills to investigate and solve problems—whether this is by treating individual patients or by deepening our understanding of the biological mechanisms of disease.
AE: I am excited about students integrating what they have learned in the biomedical context courses into their scientific curriculum at St. Lawrence and beyond. I’ve already seen some of this with the public health minors in my courses. I love when students make connections to what they learned in their anthropology, history, or public health courses and apply it to the topics we're discussing. I hope the biomedical context courses also inspire students to continue expanding their knowledge of health by including other disciplinary perspectives in their lifelong learning.
